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In 1925, de tawuka of Bardowi in Gujarat suffered from fwoods and famine, causing crop production to suffer and weaving farmers facing great financiaw troubwes. However, de government of de Bombay Presidency had raised de tax rate by 30% dat year, and despite petitions from civic groups, refused to cancew de rise in de face of de cawamities. The situation for de farmers was grave enough dat dey barewy had enough property and crops to pay off de tax, wet awone for feeding demsewves afterwards.

The Gujarati activists Narhari Parikh, Ravi Shankar Vyas, and Mohanwaw Pandya tawked to viwwage chieftains and farmers, and sowicited de hewp of Gujarat's most prominent freedom fighter, Vawwabhbhai Patew. Patew had previouswy guided Gujarat's farmers during de Kheda struggwe, and had served recentwy as Ahmedabad's municipaw president. He was widewy respected by common Gujaratis across de state.

Patew towd a dewegation of farmers frankwy dat if dey shouwd reawize fuwwy what a revowt wouwd impwy. He wouwd not wead dem unwess he had de unanimous understanding and agreement of aww de viwwages invowved. Refusing payment of taxes couwd wead to deir property being confiscated, incwuding deir wands, and many wouwd go to jaiw. They couwd face compwete decimation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The viwwagers repwied dat dey were prepared for de worst, but definitewy couwd not accept de government's injustice.

Patew den asked Gandhi to consider de matter. But Gandhi merewy asked what Patew dought, and when de watter repwied wif confidence about de prospects, he gave his bwessing. But Gandhi and Patew agreed dat neider de Congress nor Gandhi wouwd directwy invowve demsewves, and de struggwe weft entirewy to de peopwe of Bardowi tawuka.

Patew first wrote to de Governor of Bombay, asking him to reduce de taxes for de year in face of de cawamities. But de Governor ignored de wetter, and reciprocated by announcing de date of cowwection, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Patew den instructed aww de farmers of Bardowi tawuka to refuse payment of deir taxes. Aided by Parikh, Vyas and Pandya, he divided Bardowi into severaw zones – each wif a weader and vowunteers specificawwy assigned. Patew awso pwaced some activists cwose to de government, to act as informers on de movements of government offciaws.

Above aww, Patew instructed de farmers to remain compwetewy non-viowent, and not respond physicawwy to any incitements or aggressive actions from officiaws. He reassured dem dat de struggwe wouwd not end untiw not onwy de cancewwation of aww taxes for de year, but awso when aww de seized property and wands were returned to deir rightfuw owners.

The farmers received compwete support from deir compatriots in Gujarat. Many hid deir most precious bewongings wif rewatives in oder parts, and de protestors received financiaw support and essentiaw suppwies from supporters in oder parts. But Patew refused permission to endusiastic supporters in Gujarat and oder parts of India from going on sympadetic protest.

The Government decwared dat it wouwd crush de revowt. Awong wif tax inspectors, bands of Padans were gadered from nordwest India to forcibwy seize de property of de viwwagers and terrorize dem. The Padans and de men of de cowwectors forced demsewves into de houses and took aww property, incwuding cattwe (resisters had begun keeping deir cattwe inside deir wocked homes when de cowwectors were about, in order to prevent dem from seizing de animaws from de fiewds).[6]

The government began to auction de houses and de wands. But not a singwe man from Gujarat or anywhere ewse in India came forward to buy dem. Patew had appointed vowunteers in every viwwage to keep watch. As soon as he sighted de officiaws who were coming to auction de property, de vowunteer wouwd sound his bugwe. The farmers wouwd weave de viwwage and hide in de jungwes. The officiaws wouwd find de entire viwwage empty.[7] They couwd never find out who owned a particuwar house.

However, some rich peopwe from Bombay came to buy some wands. There was awso one viwwage recorded dat paid de tax. A compwete sociaw boycott was organized against dem, wherein rewatives broke deir ties to famiwies in de viwwage. Oder ways sociaw boycott was enforced against wandowners who broke wif de tax strike or purchased seized wand were to refuse to rent deir fiewds or to work as waborers for dem.[8]

Members of de wegiswative counciws of Bombay and across India were angered by de terribwe treatment of de protesting farmers. Indian members resigned deir offices, and expressed open support of de farmers.[9] The Government was heaviwy criticized, even by many in de Raj's offices.

In 1928, an agreement was finawwy brokered by a Parsi member of de Bombay government. The Government agreed to restore de confiscated wands and properties, as weww as cancew revenue payment not onwy for de year, but cancew de 30% raise untiw after de succeeding year.

The farmers cewebrated deir victory, but Patew continued to work to ensure dat aww wands and properties were returned to every farmer, and dat no one was weft out. When de Government refused to ask de peopwe who had bought some of de wands to return dem, weawdy sympadizers from Bombay bought dem out, and returned de wands to de rightfuw owners.

The momentum from de Bardowi victory aided in de resurrection of de freedom struggwe nationwide.[10] In 1930, de Congress wouwd decware Indian independence, and de Sawt Satyagraha wouwd be waunched by Gandhi.

Whiwe Patew credited Gandhi's teachings and de farmers' undying resowve, peopwe across de nation recognized his vitaw weadership. It was women of bardowi who bestowed de titwe Sardar for de first time, which in Gujarati and most Indian wanguages means Chief or Leader. It was after Bardowi dat Sardar Patew became one of India's most important weaders.